Torah Sparks

United Synagogue (USCJ) is proud and delighted to bring you Torah Sparks, with insights and learning materials on the Parasha (Torah portion) of the week. Torah Sparks is produced by the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Each week there will be a Dvar Torah - a discussion on some aspect of the reading, by CY faculty, alumni and friends; a Vort - a short thought from Chasidic rebbes or other thinkers about some point in the text; and Table Talk - questions to stimulate discussion on the Parsha around the Shabbat table. Torah Sparks is available here on the Conservative Yeshiva's Shiurim Online Beit Midrash website, as well as by subscription to weekly graphical emails. Please select the Parasha you would like to see - it will display articles from each year. A printable PDF is linked at the end of each week's presentation.

Maasrot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 4

Our mishnah deals with a person who separated terumah from his produce before he finished its processing and before he separated the tithes.

Mishnah Four

1) Produce from which he separated terumah before its work was finished:

a) Rabbi Eliezer says: it is forbidden to make a chance meal of it,

b) But the sages permit it except when it is a basket of figs.

2) A basket of figs from which one separated terumah:

a) Rabbi Shimon permits it.

b) But the sages forbid it.

Explanation

Section one: According to Rabbi Eliezer, once one has separated terumah from produce it can no longer be eaten in a chance fashion until tithes have also been separated. To put it another way, taking out terumah makes the produce liable for tithes.

The rabbis generally disagree and hold that separating terumah does not make produce liable for tithes. One can continue to eat chance meals from the produce. The one exception is a basket of figs.

Albeck tentatively explains that it was common to give figs to several people (as we saw above in mishnayot 1-2) and if he took out terumah then he has shown that his intention is to give away the figs while they are in the basket and therefore this is considered the final step in their processing. Furthermore, once he has separated the terumah he wont put more hullin figs into the basket and therefore, their processing is complete. Therefore, he can no longer eat in a chance fashion from these figs.

Section two: Rabbi Shimon does not distinguish between figs and other types of produceeven though he separated terumah from the basket, it is still not liable for tithes and he can continue to eat in a chance fashion.